GLOUCESTER — On a night when the Gloucester High and Lynn English football teams played in a game with huge Northeastern Conference Large title implications, Fishermen senior running back Conor Ressel stole the show.
Ressel broke the Gloucester single-game rushing record with 257 yards on 26 carries, and he also added three touchdowns to lead Gloucester to a dominant 48-7 victory over Lynn English at Newell Stadium. The previous single-game rushing record was held by Nick Giacalone, who ironically rushed for 244 yards in a game against Lynn English in 2004.
Ressel came close to breaking the record earlier in the year against Andover, when he ran for 217 yards in just three quarters in a blowout win against Andover. He now has 1,211 yards for the season in just eight games.
The huge performance by Ressel was just part of the story. Gloucester improved to a perfect 8-0 on the season and 3-0 inside the NEC Large. The win against English (6-2, 1-1) puts the Fishermen in the driver's seat to once again win the league and get back to the playoffs.
It looked at first that the game would live up to the pregame hype, as the contest was billed as a matchup between the two best teams in the NEC Large.
Lynn English opened the game with an impressive 13-play drive, but got stopped on downs by the Gloucester defense. The Fishermen then responded by going 74 yards on six plays, capped off by Ressel's first TD of the game from 29 yards out. Senior Sal Favaloro added the extra point and it was 7-0 Gloucester after the first quarter.
The game got out of hand in the second frame, as the Fishermen put 21 points on the board in the quarter. Junior Jordan Shairs scored on a 9-yard run with 10:12 left in the second and a Favaloro boot made it 14-0. After the Fishermen defense stopped English again, Gloucester put together a trademark nine-play, 83-yard drive that ate a ton of clock. Ressel scored on a 16-yard run with 3:58 left in the half and Favaloro added another extra point to make it 21-0. About two-and-half minutes later, junior Brandon Cusumano (five rushes, 93 yards) scored on a 26-yard reverse, thanks to a big downfield block from senior quarterback Brett Cahill. The extra point made it 28-0.
Somehow Gloucester got the ball back one more time before the half. However, Ressel made his only mistake of the game, throwing an interception on a halfback option. Travone Berry-Rogers picked it off for the Bulldogs and returned it all the way down to the Gloucester 31-yard line. English scored on the next play on a pass from quarterback Tyllor MacDonald to Melvin Taveres. The score at the half was 28-7 Gloucester.
The second half was completely owned by the Fishermen both offensively and defensively. Senior Max Millefoglie was in on a few sacks and juniors Gilbert Brown and Jordan Shairs made sure MacDonald never got the passing game going for English.
Cusumano added a 41-yard score on a reverse, Ressel tacked on a 2-yard run and sophomore Kyle Lucido scored on a 27-yard interception return to round out the scoring for the winners.
Gloucester 48, Lynn English 7
at Newell Stadium, Gloucester
Lynn English0 70 0— 7
Gloucester 721713—48
G-Conor Ressel 29 run (Sal Favaloro kick)
G-Jordan Shairs 9 run (Favaloro kick)
G-Ressel 16 run (Favaloro kick)
G- Brandon Cusumano 26 run (Favaloro kick)
LE- Melvin Taveres 31 pass from Tyllor MacDonald (Cory Burt kick)
G- Cusumano 41 run (Favaloro kick)
G- Ressel 2 run (Favaloro kick)
G- Kyle Lucido 27 interception return (kick blocked)
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: LE — Tyllor MacDonald 15-62, Ryan Woumn 1-11, Jermaine Patterson 6-2; G — Conor Ressel 26-257, Brandon Cusumano 5-93, Ali D'Angelo 6-20, Brett Cahill 3-18, Jordan Shairs 3-17.
PASSING: LE — Tyllor MacDonald 9-22-92-1-1; G — none.
RECEIVING: LE — Taron Seafourth 5-42, Melvin Taveres 2-34, Ryan Woumn 1-11, Jermaine Patterson 1-5; G — none.
